


should've known you'd bring me heartache

by hate_is_foolish_love_is_wise



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Although she still loves him in a way, Canon Compliant, Character Study, F/M, I tried not to do him too dirty, I wrote this ages ago, Mentions of Korra - Freeform, Mentions of Kya, The Aang/Katara is pretty one-sided
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 03:17:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19715167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hate_is_foolish_love_is_wise/pseuds/hate_is_foolish_love_is_wise
Summary: Katara, over the years.





	should've known you'd bring me heartache

About a week after it happened, they talk about it. After all, they’re calm, rational people (there is screaming involved) who are too young to know what they want (they fought in a war, how can anyone call them children?) and who just happened to kiss each other (she hides words like “feelings” and “love” in her heart). It’s only because they’ve been spending so much time together in the two years since the war ended (they don’t mention the fact that she chose to stay in the Fire Nation instead of travel across the Earth Kingdom) and because they’re lonely (they also don’t mention that she could’ve gone with Aang).

In the end, they decide to part ways. They were never together, really, and they both have other people, right?

***

It hurts.

***

Her and Aang end up dating. When people find out, Katara hears over and over the word “inevitable.” It angers her. Why do people spend so much time deciding what her future will be? When she brings it up with Aang - sweet, sweet, Aang - he looks at her with wide grey eyes and says, “Weren’t we always going to be together?”

She sighs and agrees with him, imagining the grey as burning amber.

***

Every time she sees Zuko, it feels unbearably awkward. Nobody else realizes it - they’ve become nothing if not good actors. There’s tension, though, and she can’t help the fact that it was never just a crush.

They speak privately for what will be the last time in years, careful to maintain a large distance between them. That doesn’t keep Katara from staring, though.  
(He doesn’t think they should see each other as often. She knows he’s right.)

***

He’s at her wedding, of course. Why wouldn’t he be? Him and Aang are best friends (and God, that’s made all of this so much worse), and even Fire Lord duties wouldn’t have been a good enough excuse to miss the wedding of the Avatar.

She cries for two reasons. She is happy, in a way. Aang is her best friend, and she loves him. That’s why she knew from the moment she kissed Zuko that they couldn’t be together, because she could never hurt Aang like that. With Aang, she knows that she will have a stable life.

But she also weeps for what could have been - mourns for lost possibilities and broken relationships.

***

She’s tried so desperately to be in love with Aang. There was a time when she truly believed that she would fall for him - how could she not? He was amazing, and he loved her. She knew that he loved her. 

***

Every morning she woke up and thanked Yue that Aang didn’t realize anything was wrong. Because if he did, if their relationship were to crumble, she would have done everything for nothing - and she refused to accept that. It had to be worth it.

***

Her children are the best thing to ever happen to her. Even though it has been years, the birth of Kya is what really helps distract her from the constant pain of “what if.”  
Her children are bright, and beautiful, and she had never loved anyone more. She would suffer everything she has gone through and more just to see them smile. 

***

It was worth it.

***

Aang passes away. She sobs for hours.

***

If she were less prideful, she would have run straight to Zuko. She almost wants to, but she could never do that. She is Aang’s very recent widow, and she doesn’t need the rumors and gossip.

And surely Zuko has moved on by now.

***

She curses the fact that she is Aang’s widow. It is not fair to him, she knows this. He didn’t choose to die so early, to leave her alone. It doesn’t change the fact that she is shackled by his title, maybe more so that he was. He could embrace his identity as the Avatar - it helped him do good and bring peace. Her identity is the Avatar’s girlfriend, the Avatar’s wife, the Avatar’s widow. Always burdened by what she has lost, always just an ornamental piece, recognizable only by the presence of the man who used to be by her side.

***

Everyone treats her delicately, like they expect her to melt into a pathetic puddle when they mention Aang’s name. She never does, of course. She is trying to not let her loss define her - the last thing she needs is to give in to more of people’s assumptions. She isn’t going to be affected by everything related to the Avatar. 

***

She breaks down when she meets Korra.

***

They are old, and they are alone for the first time in decades. She’d decided to travel to Ember Island, driven by a strange restlessness. She hadn’t known Zuko would be there.

She’s glad he is.

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy, because I'm cliché. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed.


End file.
